There is an unknown amount of fuel onboard and pollution responders have reported the smell of diesel fuel in the vicinity and contracted Global Diving and Salvage to survey the vessel and remove any fuel onboard.

A Coast Guard Station Seattle boatcrew was underway for a possible search and rescue case at 9 a.m., when they notified IMD personnel that the vessel appeared to be derelict and drifting toward shore near Richmond Beach. Pollution responders notified the Washington Department of Ecology and arrived on scene at 11:40 a.m.

“The notification IMD got from the Station Seattle boatcrew is what allowed us to get out here and get contractors on scene quickly,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Seth Grayson, a marine science technician with Sector Puget Sound. “It really shows our flexibility as an agency and our ability to transition from search and rescue to environmental protection.”

Weather on scene is reported to be 2-to-3 foot seas with 15-mph winds.